Manchester United fans will now be very familiar with the name Sergej Milinković-Savić.
The 23-year-old has attracted interest from a host of top European clubs this summer, including Real Madrid, Juventus and PSG.
Links with United refuse to go away, however, and Jose Mourinho will no doubt be taking a keen interest in Serbia’s World Cup campaign in order to gauge whether the midfielder is the right fit.
The Orlovi can be found in Group E alongside Brazil, Switzerland and Costa Rica. In their opener against the Central Americans, he conducted his side exquisitely, pulling the strings and forcing Keylor Navas into a handful of decent saves.
Mladen Krstajić’s side boast a mix of experience - Nemanja Matić, Aleksandar Kolarov, and Branislav Ivanović being good examples – and exciting youth, as epitomised by Milinković-Savić.
The Lazio prospect is crucial to his nation’s chances and now has the opportunity to prove himself as a real box-to-box midfielder. There is his willingness to put a foot in, the physicality that is earning him a reputation as one of Serie A’s hardmen, albeit one with a tendency to be a little ill-disciplined. Eight cards in 35 league appearances this term for I Biancocelesti doesn’t sound too bad, but there is still a feeling that this is still a rough talent that can be harnessed into something more polished.
A more flattering statistic is that he scored 14 goals and provided three assists in all competitions in the 2017/18 season. What will set him apart is whether he is able to take games by the scruff of the neck in Russia and provide in both attack and defence.
Milinković-Savić is also good in the air, boosted by his noticeably long legs. When being closed down, he is impressively inventive and creative, which means that despite his relative inexperience at senior international level, he is well-poised to make an impact on the greatest stage of them all. The Serbian set-up know him very well, having watched him come up through the ranks for the U19, U20, and U21s, winning the U20 World Cup in 2015 and helping his side to overcome Brazil in the final.
A concern among United fans might be how he would fit in alongside Paul Pogba and Fred. Indeed, he does bear similarities with both midfielders and as his club are demanding over £100million to let him go, investing in him is likely to be a hefty financial commitment. He arguably has the potential to be more versatile than what United have at present – not that Pogba cannot be versatile, as he was quite brilliant at Juventus; but it is still a question of getting the best out of him.
In Serbia’s last warm-up game against Bolivia, which they won 5-1, Milinković-Savić played alongside Matic in a two-man midfield. Luka Milivojevic is the other man likely to operate next to the former Chelsea player, but that does not rule out his counterpart completely, as Milinković-Savić can also play in front of them as a number 10. Whilst it’s not guaranteed that Krstajić will start him in every game, it’s almost unthinkable that he should be wasted, particularly after Costa Rica, and there is an opportunity there for him to make even more of a name for himself.
It’s clearly not the case that Serbia don’t have options in midfield. On the contrary, their depth in the middle of the park is one of the reasons they are considered among the dark horses. Yet, few of their other players have the potential to shine as much as Milinković-Savić and while that sense of expectation could prove to be a burden, it will be interesting to see whether he lives up to his promises, reiterated in interviews, that he thrives under pressure.
With Lazio having missed out on Champions League football by a hair, the coming months are set to contain big things for one of Europe’s most in-demand midfielders. If he hasn’t already caught the eye enough, he has a big chance to do so over the next few weeks.